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Innovative Marine Aquariums

The Unofficial Sexy Shrimp Thread


Lalani

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Updated 5-15-11

Welcome to the Unofficial Sexy Shrimp Thread!


Here we will be discussing Thor amboinensis a.k.a. sexy shrimp, sexy anemone shrimp, anemone shrimp, squat shrimp, humback shrimp, high-tailed shrimp, and dancing shrimp. Yeah, I know, that's a lot of names, but I did not make any up!

In this thread, you can post pictures, videos, stories, tips, questions, and anything else that pertains to sexy shrimp. Try to keep things PG, please! We don't want to get kicked out too soon. :D

Basic information:

Sexy shrimp are best kept in groups of odd numbers over 3. They can be kept single or as a pair, but they are much more comfortable as a group. One of their most striking behaviors is their 'dancing.' When they are kept in a group or when they are frightened, they will swing their tails back and forth, rythmically, hence the name "Dancing Shrimp."

Tank setup:
Sexy shrimp are very small, usually growing no larger than 1½", so they are best kept in tanks smaller than 10gal. In larger tanks, they are difficult to keep track of and can possibly be bullied by crabs, other shrimp, and some fish. They really love tanks in between 2 and 5 gallons.

Feeding:
You can feed them most flaked and frozen foods, plankton, and meaty items. There are several methods of feeding, and everyone can post their favorite choice.

Hosting:
Sexy anemone shrimp have that name because their natural host is an anemone. If an anemone is not present, they will most likely host other corals, but a host is not required.

Molting:
They will molt every 3 to 4 weeks, at night. Sometimes the molted skin can be mistaken as a dead body, so take a closer look and conduct a head count before getting worried.

Breeding:
Finding your female sexy shrimp with an abdomen full of eggs should become a common sight. They become reproductive at several weeks of age, and make eggs like clockwork. You can attempt to raise the fry, but it's a lot of work.
LisaP's thread
Project DIBS sexy shrimp forum
http://sexyshrimp.com
PJ's sexy shrimp breeding thread
Whys' Sexy Breeding

Steelcube's sexy breeding

Are sexies reef safe?
YES! But, if they are not kept well fed, there is a big chance that they will munch on your corals. Some people don't have trouble with this at all, but I personally have to feed mine at least once a day, or else they start binging on zoa skirts.

Tankmates
Sexies should be alright to keep with just about anything except those fish/inverts/etc. that eat inverts. There is always a possibility of having a rouge critter that may not be friendly. Also, there may be disagreements if one or more critters in the tank are very territorial.

Where to buy
Most LFSs will either carry them or order them by request.
Other places to check:
Live Aquaria
Reef Playground
ThatFishPlace
Ebay


Alright, there is the basic info on these cute little guys. From here on out, ask questions, give first hand experience and show off some sexy (shrimp) pics!

I will be updating this thread as we go along. If you have any tips or links that you think should show up on this first post, please let me know!

Update! 7/16/08
Big thanks to el fabuloso for this guide to feeding sexy shrimp!

A Simple Guide To Feeding Sexy Shrimps

Lately I've been coming across accounts from people of sexy shrimps eating their corals. It's a tragic case but I think it's also one that can easily be avoided. Sexy shrimps are opportunistic scavengers so you can probably get away with not feeding them in a fully stock tank with fish and/or corals that are fed on a regular basis. But in a small tank all to themselves and with corals that don't need to be fed regularly, spot feeding them is important in order to keep them happy and to prevent them from eating your corals. I thought I'd share my technique with people who are cautious about getting these little guys or current owners who may be having some trouble getting their shrimps to eat. I've even included photos to make this more fun. :)

Feeding them is surprisingly easy and requires very little time. I feed mine with shrimp pellets every other day.
ShrimpPellets(lores).jpg
I happen to use Omega One Shrimp Pellets (quite disturbing if you really think about it) and they absolutely love it. But really, any pellets will do.

You will need forceps to spot feed the shrimp. You can get Aquatic Forceps from Foster & Smith which also come in handy for aquascaping and for moving and poking at things in your tank.

p_18762_26658P.jpg

Lalani also suggested mechanics forceps so I suppose those will work as well if you can find them.

 

Step 1: Find a good size pellet that's just the right portion for your shrimp. A pellet that's too big leaves a big mess and one that's too small may end up floating off and getting lost from their grip.
CIMG5536.jpg

Step 2: Dip the pellet in the water and allow it to soak up a bit. It also helps to shake it off a little to get rid of air bubbles. This keeps the pellet from floating away.
CIMG5538.jpg

Step 3: Spot feed. Sexy shrimps have a good sense of smell (or taste?) and will come running the moment they sense food. Notice the other shrimp running towards the front.
CIMG5540.jpg

These guys are greedy eaters and don't like to share. This one has decided to snatch the pellet all to himself...
CIMG5541.jpg

...so it's a good idea to make sure they each get their own.
CIMG5543.jpg


As you can see, a well-fed sexy is a happy sexy. And one that's too busy munching on their own pellet instead of your corals. :happy:
CIMG5545.jpg

  • Like 4
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i had a pair of SS that inhabited a 10 g nano. they did GREAT for about a year. then, they continued to do great while eating a healthy diet of ricordea and acropora until i finally caught them and got rid of them. I know every one will deny that this happens. i know that putting the info out there will get you to question my competency so let me say that i have kept reef aquariums for 12 years and nanos for 5 years and while i know that being a molecular geneticist doesn't mean i'm a marine biologist, i hope it can assure you that im not a total moron and that im used to looking for very very small changes in complex systems and making good observations. in the 4 months since i have removed the shrimp the tank looks better than ever.

  • Like 1
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Guess I'll start this off with pics of mine. :)

 

DSCN8634.jpg

 

IMG_7037.jpg

 

:wub:

 

i had a pair of SS that inhabited a 10 g nano. they did GREAT for about a year. then, they continued to do great while eating a healthy diet of ricordea and acropora until i finally caught them and got rid of them. I know every one will deny that this happens. i know that putting the info out there will get you to question my competency so let me say that i have kept reef aquariums for 12 years and nanos for 5 years and while i know that being a molecular geneticist doesn't mean i'm a marine biologist, i hope it can assure you that im not a total moron and that im used to looking for very very small changes in complex systems and making good observations. in the 4 months since i have removed the shrimp the tank looks better than ever.

Thats one thing I will add to the original post. You're not alone! Mine will munch on corals if I don't feed them every day. Its common. ;) How often did you target feed them?

There is no need to be so defensive, and welcome to NR!

Edited by Lalani
  • Like 1
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el fabuloso

The Sexy Club is official! I'm so glad this thread is finally up. Thanks Lalani, you did a superb job at gathering some basic info on these guys. As for me, I can't get enough sexy! I think everyone should have some in their tanks. Unfortunately some people have had bad experiences with these guys nibbling at their corals so hopefully this thread will serve as a good place to gain knowledge and support for both sexy owners and people who are looking to have something intriguing and fun in their tanks!

 

 

These are my sexies:

 

CIMG4111.jpg

 

CIMG4050.jpg

 

CIMG4107.jpg

 

 

Sexy pyramid! This is a rare shot of them together:

 

CIMG4273.jpg

 

 

Here's a pic of them huddled together during drip acclimation:

 

CIMG3872.jpg

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Yay! How fun! I have been trying to get good pictures of my sexies but I still haven't perfected getting good shots of small things in my tank. And my 2 sexies mainly hang out on a rock right up front and they are always together!

 

I bought some sinking pellets for them yesterday and they still didn't eat. :( But I guess if they get hungry they will right? I will keep trying! Once I get know they will eat I think I will see if my LFS can order me 3 more.

 

Lalani thanks for starting the thread! This is going to be so much fun!

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Jenn, they may still be getting accustomed to their new tank. Give them a few days to settle in, and keep trying to feed them. Even if they don't eat what you give them, they will most likely eat stuff off the rocks. :)

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Oh oh I have a pair! Going to get more today, I can't get a picture yet, but hopefully soon. I like to sit and watch them dance to "I'm bringin sexy back" its hilarious!

  • Like 1
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Jenn, they may still be getting accustomed to their new tank. Give them a few days to settle in, and keep trying to feed them. Even if they don't eat what you give them, they will most likely eat stuff off the rocks. :)

Thanks. That is what I was hoping. I have had one for a week and the other for just 3 days so I figured the changes must throw them off. I will keep trying. At least now they don't really seem to mind when my hand is in there. Hopefully soon they will realize when the big pink rubber thing (yes I have pink gloves for messing with my tank) is there it means food!

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Nick's Reef

I've got a few questions-

 

1.How do you determine the sex of these guys

 

2.Will thet host a duncan or acans/micros (I'd guess yes, just checking)

 

3.Will the be ok in a 1.5gal pico

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el fabuloso

1. The females are apparently noticeably fatter than the males

 

2. IME, it seems that they prefer to host soft corals (GSP, mushrooms, palys, Xenias). I have a Blasto colony that they stay away from altogether. I could be wrong though and hopefully someone else who's got sexies hosting LPS can chime in.

 

3. I've seen sexies in some of the smallest picos on here so I'm sure one will be fine in a 1.5g pico.

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Nick's Reef
1. The females are apparently noticeably fatter than the males

 

2. IME, it seems that they prefer to host soft corals (GSP, mushrooms, palys, Xenias). I have a Blasto colony that they stay away from altogether. I could be wrong though and hopefully someone else who's got sexies hosting LPS can chime in.

 

3. I've seen sexies in some of the smallest picos on here so I'm sure one will be fine in a 1.5g pico.

Hey thanks! i'll be starting a 1.5gal pico soon and wanted sexies so I just wanted make sure that it would be ok. I think they'd host a duncan due to it looking so close to a nem.

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^^

 

I think that pic shows a perfect example of a male and a female. Used to be in your pico, you said? Where are they now??

 

They were among the casualties when my son squirted lotion in my pico :tears: I have given serious consideration to getting several for my 12g, but I am afraid fish would pick on them.

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Seems like things were under control while I was gone. :D

Sexies are more prone to host corals that resemble anemones... LPS like frogspawn, torch, and hammer. Xenia. Tall zoas and palys. Ricordea mushrooms, etc. I'm not so certain about duncans or acans, but you can try. Just remember that they may not host anything at all. :)

 

Are sexy shrimp aggressive?

Nope, they are completely peaceful. Males may be protective of their females during breeding though.

 

 

They were among the casualties when my son squirted lotion in my pico :tears: I have given serious consideration to getting several for my 12g, but I am afraid fish would pick on them.

I remember your thread about the lotion, that really sucked! But kids will be kids.

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el fabuloso
Are sexy shrimp aggressive?

Not at all! Sometimes they squabble amongst each other especially during feeding time but for the most part they're peaceful. They're also not afraid to put hermit crabs in their place but they're not bullies in any way.

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Can sexy shrimp be with other kinds of shrimp?

 

Sorry about the questions but I have been wanting a sexy shrimp for a long time, well three weeks, and my 3 gal pico is finally cycled and has 2 snails with 3 small crabs. There are no sexies in my area at the moment but I want to stock my tank (and get rid of a few pods). So could I get a sexy later in the near future even if I got a different shrimp today?

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What other shrimp were you planning to add? All but the smallest shrimp are not suitable for picos, because of size restraints. And if your cycle just recently ended, I would wait for at least a month before adding any shrimp at all. They really do better in stable tanks.

Edited by Lalani
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How would my Fire Shrimp react if I were to add a couple of these into my 14g BC? I know I can't add another Fire Shrimp but how would he react to other shimp from a different species?

Edited by Futopia
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I have no experience with fire shrimp, but they are supposed to be peaceful. As with any critters, it all depends on the individual. Just remember people, sexies like to be kept in odd numbered groups over 3! :D

Edited by Lalani
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